Sacrifices
by VeraVega
Summary: Sort of an MCR fiction, but doesn't become that until sometime later. The story of two very closely bonded people who are pulled away from each other for a very long time. I suck at summaries. Anyways, try and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Its been 3 years since that day when my world was turned.

She had always just been a sister. Just been a friend. Just been a girl.

Now... Now she was so much more.

By those few words... she had changed my point of view -and my world- completely.

Let me explain.

-

Fourth Grade.

"Bye, Nina. See you next year," I promised as I hugged one of my more casual friends, Nina. We had all come to get our report cards at 10 am and say goodbye to our friends. I was glad I had passed this year, I'd spent so much time doing... well, nothing. Which was why the B's on my report card had pleasantly surprised me.

"I'll see you in a couple weeks, Gee. 'Member, my family has that barbecue on the fourth of July. You better be there!" said Matt, one of my closer friends. I told him I would be there, and went to say goodbye to everyone else.

After Nina, Matt, Mike, Sarah, Jocelyn, Shawn, Katie, Logan, and all my other friends and acquaintances were out of the way, I made my way to Bonnie's locker. We'd been best friends since Kindergarten, and we were closer than brother and sister. Since Mikey was only 5, I felt like I knew her better than I knew him.

Suddenly I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes.

I shrieked involuntarily. Of course, I knew it was her, but I was always tightly wound, and would jump at the drop of a pin.

I tried to get away, and I felt about 70 pounds, give or take, jump onto my back.

"Hey, Gee! Guess who!" she giggled.

"Liza?" I joked.

She laughed her cute little laugh again and hopped down.

"Its 10:30. I been here for an hour. Where ya been!" she demanded, pretending to be indignant.

"Bonnie, bella! Where have I been? Why, you of all people should know that I've been hunting for a rabbit skin to wrap my little Bonnie in!" I joked again. It was an old joke of ours. Since a young age we both had an odd obsession with Gone With The Wind and Clark Gable. Don't ask.

"Hah! Any plans for the summer?"

"Not really. I'll be taking care of Mikey a lot; my parents are going to Hawaii for a week, and we'll have an on-and-off babysitter. How about you?"

She shrugged, "Nothing but a week of camp in August," she made a face. She hated her camp and the baton that came with it; but her parents insisted. I had no idea why; she was good at so many other things, why baton? Where would it get her? It was a question we'd been asking her parents since second grade when they'd bought her a silver baton. She'd nearly set fire to it.

"Fun. When you get back, I want to see lots of pictures!" I teased. She hated her counselors and her campmates-and they hated her. I wished I could go with her to make it a little better, or a little more fun.

While this was all going on, we were slowly walking towards the front doors where her parents would pick her up, and I would begin my short walk home.

"How did your report card go?" she asked.

"Surprisingly well. Mostly all B's, except for a B minus. Not too bad, how about you?"

"In order, Choir, Art, Math, Language Arts, Gym, Science, and American History, A,A,B,A,D,D,C. It evens out," she shrugged. She never put much of a store by grades. She didn't want a real job; she wanted to be a singer, a dancer, an actress, a band mate, an artist, any kind of musician. All at once. Her body couldn't be everywhere, so her mind wanted to be; which made it so exciting to be her best friend. It was never a dull moment with my bella, Bonnie Marena Lombardi.

At this point, we heard a honk. A black SUV had pulled up, signaling that Bonnie had to go.

"I'll see you next year, Gerard. I'll miss you!" she said, hugging me tightly, "Promise you'll stay at this school, with me!"

"I promise, bella. See you next year," I said, hugging her back. She skipped off towards her parents' car, her wild black curls flying in the wind. I'd really miss her.

-

Back in the world of ninth grade, I'll bet you're thinking, "Yeah, so what? Get on with the damn story Gerard. What's so great about this girl?" And I shall tell you.

Over the years, fifth, sixth, seventh grade, my friends had started to sort of drift. Most of them. I was only invited to one birthday party a year-Bonnie's. And I was the only one she'd ever invite. Said nobody else would care enough if she did invite them, so she didn't bother. Anyways, my friends would start hanging out with older people, because they thought it made them look cool. The older kids would get them to do things they otherwise would never even dream of-bad things. I wasn't into that, so I shied away from it. People said I was uncool, that I was a pansy, so after a while, we all just stopped talking. I had no interest in hanging out with these people any longer, and as a result, I stuck to my own secluded corner at lunch and recess.

Again, you're thinking, "Gerard, yeah, I know that sucks, but SERIOUSLY. Get ON with it! HOW does she tie into all of this?" And once again, I shall explain.

-

Beginning of sixth grade

I walked down the hallways towards the auditorium, where we would be getting our pep talk for the year. I could see it was already half full, and almost all of the faces were familiar to me. I walked down the aisles, unnoticed by everyone, and tried to find a place to sit. Every time I saw an empty seat, the people sitting around it would look at me, look at each other, and place a bag or some other object onto the seat. It confused the shit out of me.

"Gerard!" I heard a high pitched, all too familiar voice call from the back.

Bonnie! I was so panicked when I couldn't find her at all at the front doors this morning. She was sitting in the middle of the row, an empty seat to her left. Her friends all stopped talking and looked at me, then looked at Bonnie like she was retarded. She waved me over, ignoring them.

"Hey, Bonnie! How was your summer?" I asked. I felt very uncomfortable with all her friends, dead silent, listening to our conversation. I could almost feel their contempt.

"Same old, same old. Sorry I wasn't at the front this morning, but I woke up way too late! I hope you didn't stick around for long?" she said, concerned.

"Nah," I lied, "I got here pretty late, too..."

We were shushed as the presentation began.

One boring hour later, we were ushered to our classrooms. I still had the same class with Bonnie, thank God. Everyone else hated me with a passion, and if I wasn't able to spend every in school moment with her... well, let's just be glad I could.

The morning passed slowly, and when the bell rang for recess, everyone ran outside into the bright sunshine. Bonnie and I went to play tether ball, and everyone mostly avoided us.

In the middle of our game, we stopped as we heard a voice. A few voices, actually. Female voices.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Her friend Megan asked, with scorn in her voice.

"Playing tether ball," Bonnie replied icily without looking at them. She sent the ball towards me again.

"Why are you even talking to this loser?" the girl beside Megan asked.

"Because he's not a loser, and he's my friend," she said, beginning to get a little miffed.

There was silence for a moment, and all three girls, Megan and the two girls I didn't recognize, burst out laughing.

"Ah, Bonnie, we thought you were serious for a second... Now come on, let's go to the jungle gym," said Megan.

Instead of hitting the ball back to me, Bonnie caught it, and turned around.

"No, Megan, I don't want to go with you. I'm happy playing tether ball with my best friend here, and if you'd like to join us, feel free. If not, get lost," she said, her voice rising.

"You're making a big mistake, Bonnie. Nobody will want to talk to someone who hangs out with a loser. Especially a loser as big as him," one of the other girls said with a sneer.

"He's not a loser!" Bonnie suddenly shrieked. I jumped a little. Bonnie, no matter how bouncy and hyper she was, never, ever raised her voice.

"I don't know what your problem is, but leave us alone! You don't know Gerard like I do, and you're lucky I don't walk over there and knock you on your ass!" This also shocked me. Bonnie had never sworn in her whole life. Hell, I had never sworn, at that age. I just stood there stupidly, staring at fiery little Bonnie, with a tether ball clenched in her small hands.

Her old friends gasped. They were as shocked as I was to see Bonnie like this, and they weren't sure how to react. Finally, one of the girls I didn't know started walking closer to my little friend.

"I don't think a little person like you should be able to get away with saying stuff like that, Bonnie. Especially not to her friends," her voice had a sinister tone to it. I started to get worried.

"What are you going to do, Sarah? Tell on me?" Bonnie retorted, standing at her full four foot ten inches. She wasn't afraid of this girl, who stood about two and a half heads taller than her.

Sarah pushed Bonnie backwards, and she lost her balance. When I saw her hit the ground, I got angry. There wasn't much I could do to a girl, but I would do what I could.

"Leave her alone!" I screamed at Sarah, moving towards her.

"Hey look, the loser's talking to me! I didn't know they could talk!" Sarah taunted.

"I'm serious Sarah, get away from us," I said, trying to keep calm. It wasn't really working.

"What are you going to do? Hit a girl?"

No. Of course I wouldn't. You weren't supposed to do that. Even a 12 year old boy like me knows that. Even if they asked for it. Right?

I stood beside the sitting Bonnie, about a foot in front of Sarah. Standing straight, Bonnie barely reached my shoulder, whereas Sarah came up about even with me. Just as I was telling myself I couldn't hit a girl, I looked down. Bonnie was focusing on the tether ball, but I could see the small tear drops on her sleeves.

Not hit a girl? I would hit whoever the hell I felt like!

I picked up the tether ball, and with a little yell I chucked it at Sarah. It knocked her glasses clean off her face. She stumbled back and looked stunned. She wasn't expecting me to actually do something. The other two girls ran away, and Sarah picked up her glasses as she turned to do the same. But before she turned, I was satisfied to see tears streaming down her face. I should have felt ashamed, but I didn't. All I could feel was pain wrenching my heart for the pitiful Bonnie, crying, on the ground beside me. I turned and picked small Bonnie up.

"Are you okay?" I asked, cradling her to me.

She sniffled and nodded, then she looked at me with a small smile, and adoration shining in her big green eyes.

"You really nailed her, didn't ya, Gee?" she said, almost giggling.

"I sure did. Just for you, bella. Are you real hurt?" I asked softly.

"No... Not anymore," she added, smiling brightly.

"Let's go sit on the bench and watch the kickball game," I suggested. I put her down and as she turned to walk towards the kickball field, I saw her little elbow, scraped and smeared with blood.

"Bonnie, you're bleeding!" I said suddenly.

"I am? Where?" she asked, alarmed.

"Your elbow. Come on, let's go clean it up! Does it hurt?"

"Well, no. I didn't even notice it. But now that you mention it... Eew."

I laughed. She was so damn cute sometimes.

We went into our classroom, where at the back corner there was a sink and paper towels for after art class. I cleaned her elbow off, and she shrieked as the warm water hit the tender scrape. She didn't feel it before, but she certainly could now. It also appeared to be pretty deep. I almost couldn't do it.

After it was clean, I got a band-aid out of the First Aid Kit hanging on the wall. I stuck it on and gave my little 'sister's' elbow a kiss.

"Better?" I asked.

"Better," she agreed, smiling and hugging me.

"And don't worry, Gerard, I'd rather have you as a friend and a big brother than the whole school. The whole entire world, even!" she said earnestly.

And I believed her.

And maybe now, friends, you can understand just why I love this girl so much. She sacrificed her many friends just for me, just so she could continue being around me. And I know that if the situation had been reversed, I would have done the exact same for her.

Because-I'll say it one more time- I love her, just that much.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky was a dark, ominous grey all through November, our third month of grade 10.

I flicked my cigarette away onto the snow-dusted ground and exhaled quickly, waving the smoke away as I saw her coming around the corner, headed for the school. She could handle everything I did, except the smoking. She was a little Nazi when it came to that. Said if she ever found me with one, she'd put it out in my neck.

Rather than drive her to an act of violence that would ultimately hurt her more than me, I avoided smoking around her.

God, she looked perfect today... her hair was just the way I liked it. She'd brushed it so vigorously that her usual tight bouncy curls were now loose waves in her shiny black hair. She always kept her makeup simple, another thing I liked about her. No fuss and feathers. Clear lip gloss and smoky dark eyeshadow were all that covered her beautiful face. Her gorgeous emerald eyes were always accentuated perfectly.

She caught sight of me and I saw some semblance of a smile cross her lips. Those beautiful, lush pink lips...

"Hello, Bella!" I said with a smile.

As she came closer, though, I saw that her eyes bore the look of one that's just been struck suddenly, still holding that deer-in-the-headlights look, not knowing what to do, what had just happened or why. It confused and worried me.

"Hey, did you study?" she said, with a look that said she knew for a fact that I hadn't.

I slapped my hand to my forehead with a sigh, "No... no I did not... and Vamer is going to have my ass. I was going to, I swear I had every intention to, but you see, the TV wouldn't let me."

She laughed her tinkly little laugh. She reminded me a lot of Tinkerbell when she did that.

"You're hopeless, darling. Utterly hopeless," she said as she gave me a sad-eyed smile.

My face became solemn.

"Is something bothering you, Bonnie? You don't seem as mirthful today as usual," I said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Hm? Oh, no. I was just up too late studying, I didn't get much sleep," she said, throwing me an impish grin.

I chucked her under the chin, and we headed into the school.

"Hey guys," said our friend Ray as he walked towards us from the other side of the hallway.

"What's up? Hey, you had Vamer last year. Did you ever study for her tests?" I said, seeing if I was alone in my procrastination. Ray never studied. He never had to.

"Of course I did. Vamer's a real bitch with first tests of the year. And every other test after that," said Ray with wide eyes.

I groaned, and Bonnie laughed as she linked her arm through mine. I was only 5'9, and she came up just past my elbow.

"Don't worry. You'll do just fine. You're brilliant," she said, her eyes shining her faith in me. I smiled down at her and kissed her temple.

The bell was due to ring any minute, and Ray had to go see the counsellor about switching his schedule around so that he didn't have a class during lunch.

"I'll see you guys later. Good luck, Gee. I know you'll do well, Bonnie!" said Ray as he ducked away from my feeble attempt at swatting him.

Now that we were alone again, I decided to give another shot at finding out what was bothering her.

"Bonnie, are you absolutely sure you're okay? You know you can tell me anything at all..." I told her.

"No, I'm fine, Gerard. Really. I don't know why you'd think anything was wrong," she said, beginning to get slightly defensive.

"You just seem... different today, that's all. Just know, that if there is something bothering you, I want you to tell me," I said softly, trying to keep her calm.

"I will, Gerard," she said in a dismissive tone.

The bell rang, interrupting our conversation, so we headed to the dreaded room where I would meet my doom– Mrs. Vamer's history class.

"Good luck," she whispered to me as the tests were handed out. I gave her a grateful look, took a deep breath, and began the already losing battle.

An hour, 2 erasers, and a whole lotta sweat later, we were in the hallway heading for our locker. We shared a locker, because some senior highjacked hers.

"German?" I asked.

"Yup," she answered shortly.

"See you at lunch, then," I said, resigned.

"See you," she said softly.

I couldn't get my head around it. She'd spent six weeks living at my house when her parents were divorcing in seventh grade. I'd seen her dressed and undressed, happy and sad, crying and angry.

There was obviously something big bothering her, and her lips were sealed. We've never kept anything from each other in our lives. I didn't want her to drift from me.

I needed her; needed her to be with me, to be my friend, to be my life. She was every bit a part of me as the heart with which I loved her so, the lips I longed to kiss her with...

By lunch, I was downright mad with curiosity and hurt.

I went and sad under the gigantic tree on the edge of campus, waiting for her. I decided I'd let her come to me instead of me pressing for an answer. You don't get an answer from Bonnie like that.

I saw her coming from the fine arts hall doorway. She looked so cute today, just like every other day. She was wearing her favourite black Felix the Cat tank top and black cargo pants with many chain link belts. Her style was so unique, changing from day to day, depending on her mood.

"Hey," she said with an exasperated air, handing over her sketchpad so I could see what was causing her such grief.

I opened the book and flipped through to her work from last week, and saw why she was irked. Her art teacher had just marked her assignment, and was obviously not happy. Corrections and snide comments were everywhere in red ink, along with the words 'I assumed you were capable of much better work than this' scrawled across the bottom.

"What a bitch!" I exclaimed.

"I know. She's right though. I don't know what I was on that day," she said sullenly.

That went right to my heart. She was an incredible artist, every bit as good as I hoped to be some day, and she did not deserve criticism like this.

I pulled her close and said, "Don't ever talk like that. This was an amazing portrait, and I know she just feels threatened. I believe that you have the power to become a great artist, bella, don't ever let anyone tell you differently. Okay?" I finished gently.

She smiled her thanks and cuddled into my side.

"Okay."  
We sat in comfortable silence for a while, until my curiosity got the better of me.

"So... so you're feeling better?" I asked timidly.

"Of course. You always make me feel better. Ms. Malanovich is just a frigid old bitch who can't shade to save her life anyways," she said with a small giggle.

"No, I mean... about whatever was bothering you earlier," I bit my lip and waited for the answer.

She slowly sat up and faced me, irritation in her eyes.

"Gerard, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I am fine. Don't you think I would tell you if I was otherwise? Haven't I always? You'd think you could just go against your instinct for once and trust me!" she finished, her voice rising well above its normal pitch.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious. You seemed so down this morning, and I didn't know what to think. Yes, you do usually tell me everything, but I just thought maybe you weren't ready to tell me. Okay, I get it, there's nothing wrong with you, I'll drop it," I said hastily, trying to get her back to neutral.

"Okay."

A few minutes silence.

"I just can't help but think that maybe"– I didn't get any farther.

"Jesus! Gerard, drop it! Rest assured, the god damn second I am ready to tell you, I will, alright? For now, leave it the fuck alone!" she nearly screamed.

"Oh, so you admit there's something wrong now? Sending out some pretty mixed message, there, bella," I said, just as cruelly. We got like this sometimes.

She let out a frustrated growl.

"So what if I am? Must I tell you everything the minute it happens? I'll bring it up when I'm god damn good and ready!"

"Okay!" I yelled, "Settle down! I'm just curious about what's going on inside that little head of yours, Bonnie! Do you think I like seeing you that way? Its just a natural instinct to protect you from shit, but I swear to holy hell I'll ignore it from here on out!"

With that, I got up and walked away.

To this day it's hard to forget the deeply wounded look in her large, brimming eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

All day I thought about what an asshole I was. I got into English late and couldn't get my usual seat next to Bonnie in the middle row, so I sat off to the side and tried to get her attention. It didn't work. She made a point of making direct eye contact with the teacher or looking anywhere else she possibly could.

I couldn't concentrate.

After school I waited at the locker for fifteen minutes, then moved outside to wait for another twenty. She didn't show up.

_I'm a prick._

I walked home slowly, by myself, in that kind of haze where you could cross the street in front of a semi blasting its airhorn and not notice. As soon as I walked into the door of my house, I shouted a quick hello into the big empty space that was our foyer, dropped my shit in a corner, and went up to my room.

"Hey, Gee, wanna come play Twisted Metal?" asked Mikey loudly through his slightly ajar door.

"Not right now, Mikes. Maybe later, kay?" I replied softly.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Nope," I said dully, and shut my bedroom door.

I picked up the phone and contemplated calling her.

I dialled the first four numbers and hung up.

Then I let it ring once and hung up.

Then I sighed and threw the phone on my bed. I paced around for a while, wanting to walk the twenty minutes to her house and crush her against my chest the second she opened the door. I wanted to apologize for being so callous and intrusive. I wanted to kiss her and tell her I loved her and–...

No. I can't do that. I can never do _that._

"Gerard, Mikey, supper!" my mom called from downstairs.

"Coming, ma," we both yelled back.

_Okay, that's enough time for Bonnie to cool off,_ I thought.

I called her house and got her answering machine. Not surprising. If Bonnie didn't want to talk to me, she wouldn't answer. If she wouldn't answer, nobody else would, because her mother would either be at work or at some social function.

The number you have reached is no longer in service at this time or has been disconnected. If you feel you have reached this message in error, go with it. Hang up. Ready? 3...2..._*beep*_

I remember when Bonnie recorded that. Her mother, Gina, wanted her to make a message. Based on Bon's mood that day, and how her mother had been acting, this is what she got. I always chuckled when I heard it. Sometimes, when Bonnie and Gina would be away during the summer, I'd call it just to hear her voice.

"Hey... it's me. Listen... I missed you after school today. Maybe tomorrow we can talk about this? I'll be waiting by the locker. Don't leave me hanging, Bella," was the weak ass message I managed to force out.

I'm pathetic. I can't even say I'm sorry. I suck at apologies, they make me uncomfortable and always come out sounding too formal and insincere. So usually, I just don't say them.

I went downstairs and had a quiet supper with Mama and Mikey. They knew better than to ask why I was being so despondent. The only thing that makes me more uncomfortable than apologies is hearing "Are you okay?", and "What's wrong, sweetie?" every thirty seconds. I realize this makes me sound like a huge hypocrite at this point, but hey. I'm not perfect. Far from it. Don't like it, stop listening to my life story.

Clear the table. Take a shower. Get my pyjamas on, get into bed. Read for a little bit, turn off the light, close my eyes, await tomorrow, drift to sleep. Go through the motions of the evening like a robot; mechanically, without emotion or purpose.

You're too tired to write any more right now, and don't have much of an attention span. Tomorrow if you feel like it, you'll come back on and read this. You might not remember, so I'll type it out now. You're going to have her not show up tomorrow, still not answer her phone, he's going to go to her house and Gina's going to answer the door and claim Bonnie is sick. She comes back to school the next day and is still despondent, then after about a week of this, she shows up at his door one rainy late night, crying, stating "I'm moving!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Moving?" I repeated in disbelief as she fell against my chest.

"In a few weeks. To Saskatchewan," she said, her pleading voice digging right into my heart.

"No. No, no you can't! We've been together forever! We were supposed to always be together! You can't! What the hell is Saskatchewan?"

"Canada. We're moving to Canada."

I carried her tiny body to the basement and we sat on my floor, staring at each other.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I can't imagine you holding onto this and dealing with it by yourself, Bon."

"I wanted to tell you. I just thought maybe I could find a way to not have to go. I didn't want to tell you unless I was absolutely sure that there was no way I could stay," she sniffled, and leaned into my arms again. I held her tightly, wiping away her tears, kissing the top of her soaked head.

"But there is a way, Bonnie! You could live with us! We did it before, and we can do it again! Just stay with me until your mom realizes she's an idiot and comes back!" I cried, squeezing her tight.

"I can't do that. I'm not moving with my mom. I'm moving with my dad. She doesn't want me anymore. She gave me no choice. She said I had to live with my dad. It's been going on for months. When she told him he had to take me, he decided to get back at her by taking me as far away as possible," she said, her voice shaking.

"What's wrong with that woman!" I shouted, rage making my whole body shake. How could anybody not love this little girl? How could they not want her around as much as possible for as long as possible?

"I don't blame her. I don't get along with her fiance, and I've been making life hell for both of them for a long time. I just wish... I wish that they wouldn't use me as a weapon against each other. Why can't they just love me and leave it at that?"

My heart broke with that, and a fresh stream of tears flowed down my face.

"Bonnie, they're pieces of shit! It's not your fault they can't get past their petty feud and you get caught in the crossfire. I can't stand to think that people treat you this way. You're the easiest person in the world to love! Any love you don't feel from them, Bonnie, I promise you, you will get it from me!"

Her skinny arms wrapped around me and squeezed as I said these words. She kissed the hollow of my neck affectionately. She meant nothing sexual in the way she did this, but all the same I felt an electric current run through my body. I trembled slightly and kissed her forehead, hard. Maybe now would be my last chance to tell her... to tell her how much she means to me. How much I love her.

How much it killed me to lose her.

"Bonnie..." I began.

She looked up at me with shiny emerald eyes. She must have detected a strange note in my voice by the look on her face.

"What is it, Gerard?"

"I..." come on. You have to. This is your only chance. She can't go without knowing.

I sighed.

"I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, Gerard. You're my best friend. My big brother. You always will be."

Coward.

After about an hour of us talking and crying and cursing her parents, she yawned and her eyes began to droop.

"I guess I better go home... my mom might be worried," she said with a tone that suggested she knew her mother wouldn't be worried at all.

"Bonnie... will... bella, would you stay with me, here, tonight? I don't think I'll be able to sleep otherwise," I asked, stroking her head.

"I shouldn't. My mom... well. Alright. Ok, Gerard. I'll stay with you," she said, the first hint of a smile I'd seen on her face in what felt like forever finally appearing.

I smiled back and we headed to the linen closet to get her set up in the den down here, on our old but comfortable hide-a-bed.

I wanted to ask her to stay in my room, but, well. You know. Coward.

After getting her tucked in and kissing her goodnight, I turned on the bathroom light for her. She was terrified of the dark. I crawled into my bed and stared at the ceiling. It was so silent I could hear her breathing in the other room, and wished I'd had the guts to ask her to cuddle up with me.

A long while later, just as I was starting to doze off, I felt strange. I felt like I was being watched. Slowly, quietly, I turned over and looked at my open doorway. In the dim light the bathroom cast, I saw a dark figure in my doorway. My heart sped up as I flipped on my lamp and saw Bonnie standing there, looking tired and apologetic.

"Jesus, Bon! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry. I can't sleep," she seemed to become smaller for a moment, withdrawing into herself shyly, "Can I... stay in here with you? Even with the light the darkness out there scares me a little."

I couldn't hide my grin as I threw back my covers and invited her to lay with me. She fit into the space between my arms perfectly, and I couldn't remember a time when I'd been happier.

"Goodnight, bella," I whispered into her hair.

"Night, Gee," she whispered back.

I thought I heard her sigh contentedly just before I drifted into a blissful sleep.


End file.
